The present invention relates to device registration systems and the like. For example, the present invention relates to a device registration system that associates a registered user with a registered device by authenticating the registered user and the registered device while maintaining a logical connection.
Recently, consumer electronics (CE) devices are coming to be used more commonly. CE devices are, for example, audio-visual devices such as video recorders, stereo sets, and television sets, household electric appliance products such as rice cookers and refrigerators, or other electronic devices that include computers so that services can be used via a network.
Thus, a CE device holds device authentication information for device authentication. A service server that provides a service executes device authentication before providing the service to the CE device.
Furthermore, by registering a user of the CE device in advance and associating the user with the CE device owned by the user, a more sophisticated service can be provided suitably for the user.
Furthermore, by managing the association between users and CE devices, unauthorized use of CE devices can be prevented. This serves to enhance security of the system.
As described above, the association between users and CE devices is an important task for providing a service involving the CE devices.
Conventionally, for the purpose of such association, for example, a user who has purchased a CE device enters a user ID on a card attached to the CE device (information identifying the CE device, such as the serial number of the CE device, is printed in advance on the card) and sends the card by mail to a registration center, or enters the necessary information on a predetermined registration sheet at the shop where the user purchased the CE device.
Furthermore, according to a product-information providing system and product-information providing method proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-352059, a user who has purchased a CE device or the like is registered online via a network.
According to the proposed art, user information is stored on a storage medium such as an IC card, and a user who has newly purchased a product is registered using the information stored on the IC card.
However, the task of associating a user with a CE device, even if it is executed online, requires the user to enter information relating to the user and information relating to the CE device. This has been a burden for the user.
Furthermore, for example, when the CE device is a small audio device or the like, the capability of displaying text information or an input unit for allowing input by a user is not necessarily adequate for entering such information.
Furthermore, when user information is registered in advance and the information is read for registration, the user must enter user authentication information such as a password. If the input is made via a software keyboard or the like, the user authentication information could be guessed by a third party watching the input operation.